63 G.R. No. 110398 November 7, 1997 2. Whether the award for damages in Mecenas v.
Court of Appeals is applicable
NEGROS NAVIGATION CO., INC., petitioner, in this case. vs. THE COURT OF APPEALS, RAMON MIRANDA, SPS. RICARDO and 3. Whether MV DonJuan is seaworthy VIRGINIA DE LA VICTORIA, respondents. Facts: Held: Private respondent Ramon Miranda purchased from the Negros Navigation Co., 1. No. The contention is without merit.Adherence to the Mecenas case is dictated Inc. four special cabin tickets. The tickets were for Voyage No. 457-A of the M/V by this Courts policy of maintaining stability in jurisprudence. Where, as in this Don Juan, leaving Manila and going to Bacolod. case, the same questions relating to the same event have been put forward by parties similarly situated as in a previous case litigated and decided by a Subsequently, the Don Juan collided off the Tablas Strait in Mindoro, with the M/T competent court, the rule of stare decisis is a bar to any attempt to relitigate the Tacloban City, an oil tanker owned by the Philippine National Oil Company same issue. (PNOC) and the PNOC Shipping and Transport Corporation (PNOC/STC). As a result, the M/V Don Juan sank. Several of her passengers perished in the sea 2. No, it is not applicable.The doctrine of stare decisis works as a bar only tragedy. The bodies of some of the victims were found and brought to shore, but against issues litigated in a previous case. Where the issue involved was not the four members of private respondents families were never found. raised nor presented to the court and not passed upon by the court in the previous case, the decision in the previous case is not stare decisis of the Private respondents filed a complaint against the Negros Navigation, the question presently presented. The Mecenas case cannot be made the basis for Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC), and the PNOC Shipping and Transport determining the award for attorneys fees. The award would naturally vary or Corporation (PNOC/STC), seeking damages for the death. Petitioner, however, differ in each case. denied that the four relatives of private respondents actually boarded the vessel as shown by the fact that their bodies were never recovered. Petitioner further 3. No. In finding petitioner guilty of negligence and in failing to exercise the averred that the Don Juan was seaworthy and manned by a full and competent extraordinary diligence required of it in the carriage of passengers, both the trial crew, and that the collision was entirely due to the fault of the crew of the M/T court and the appellate court relied on the findings of this Court in Mecenas v. Tacloban City. Intermediate Appellate Court,which case was brought for the death of other passengers. In that case it was found that although the proximate cause of the In finding petitioner guilty of negligence and in failing to exercise the mishap was the negligence of the crew of the M/T Tacloban City, the crew of the extraordinary diligence required of it in the carriage of passengers, both the trial Don Juan was equally negligent as it found that the latters master, Capt. Rogelio court and the appellate court relied on the findings of this Court in Mecenas v. Santisteban, was playing mahjong at the time of collision, and the officer on Intermediate Appellate Court, which case was brought for the death of other watch, Senior Third Mate Rogelio De Vera, admitted that he failed to call the passengers. In Mecenas, SC found petitioner guilty of negligence in (1) allowing attention of Santisteban to the imminent danger facing them. This Court found or tolerating the ship captain and crew members in playing mahjong during the that Capt. Santisteban and the crew of the M/V Don Juan failed to take steps to voyage, (2) in failing to maintain the vessel seaworthy and (3) in allowing the ship prevent the collision or at least delay the sinking of the ship and supervise the to carry more passengers than it was allowed to carry. Petitioner is, therefore, abandoning of the ship. clearly liable for damages to the full extent. Petitioner Negros Navigation was found equally negligent in tolerating the Petitioner criticizes the lower courts reliance on the Mecenas case, arguing that, playing of mahjong by the ship captain and other crew members while on although this case arose out of the same incident as that involved in Mecenas, board the ship and failing to keep the M/V Don Juan seaworthy so much so the parties are different and trial was conducted separately. Petitioner contends that the ship sank within 10 to 15 minutes of its impact with the M/T that the decision in this case should be based on the allegations and defenses Tacloban City. pleaded and evidence adduced in it or, in short, on the record of this case. In addition, the Court found that the Don Juan was overloaded. The Certificate of Issues: Inspection, dated August 27, 1979, issued by the Philippine Coast Guard 1. Whether the ruling in Mecenas v. Court of Appeals, finding the crew members Commander at Iloilo City stated that the total number of persons allowed on the of petitioner to be grossly negligent in the performance of their duties, is binding ship was 864, of whom 810 are passengers, but there were actually 1,004 on in this case; board the vessel when it sank, 140 persons more than the maximum number that could be safely carried by it. Taking these circumstances together, and the fact that the M/V Don Juan, as the faster and better-equipped vessel, could have avoided a collision with the PNOC tanker, this Court held that even if the Tacloban City had been at fault for failing to observe an internationally-recognized rule of navigation, the Don Juan was guilty of contributory negligenc
WHEREFORE, the decision of the Court of Appeals is AFFIRMED with
modification and petitioner is ORDERED to pay private respondents damages.